Edward J. O’Neill: On the brink of dramatic e-improvements in R.I. schools

Monday

Nov 4, 2013 at 12:01 AM

There is hope. Much is being said and written regarding the state of education in Rhode Island. Many people observe that student performance in Rhode Island is not as strong as it needs to be. But we should...

By Edward J. O’Neill

There is hope.

Much is being said and written regarding the state of education in Rhode Island. Many people observe that student performance in Rhode Island is not as strong as it needs to be. But we should not despair. There is a change coming.

The Joint Legislative Commission on E-books and the Rhode Island Department of Education have been quietly working together, behind the scenes, observing best practices from school systems and from subject-matter experts around the country. Learning from the success of others, we have seen how schools can accelerate student performance with new methods that integrate technology tools into the classroom.

On Oct. 5, more than 700 teachers, administrators, and education professionals came together for the second Rhode Island Innovation Powered by Technology Conference, at the Rhode Island Convention Center, in Providence. This full-day educational conference was superbly planned and managed by the Rhode Island Department of Education. It was a day of discovery and learning for all involved.

Technology is changing the way we live and it is changing how the world learns. Students in South Korea and Uruguay are given laptops. 3G (third generation of mobile telecommunications) is available throughout Mongolia.

Mooresville, N.C., is a leader in the deployment of technology tools to accelerate learning in its schools, and that community is getting superior results. Mooresville leads North Carolina in student-performance improvement, despite funding that is approximately $2,000 less per student than in more affluent cities and towns in North Carolina.

Mooresville no longer purchases textbooks. Learning there is not based on “seat time” but on discovery. Students are excited to learn. Parents are given access to their children’s performance via a “parent portal.” Daily or weekly, corrective intervention is part of the monitoring process. No surprises. Report cards are no longer used.

This new wave of learning is coming to a school near you. Through the Wireless Classroom Initiative, we are now in the process of bringing wireless Internet access to every classroom in Rhode Island. Several Rhode Island cities and towns are purchasing devices such as laptops and tablets for their students. Other communities are investing in professional development for their teachers.

Two Rhode Island elementary schools — Pleasant View, in Providence, and Wakefield Hills, in West Warwick — have received Innovation Powered by Technology Model School grants from the Rhode Island Department of Education, and they are serving as pilot schools to show others the way to incorporate technology into teaching and learning.

Without the proper infrastructure and professional development, failure is a sure bet. But, done properly, the rewards are great. Many students own smart phones, laptops or tablets. They are connected and know how to use these tools to reach out to the world via the Internet.

We should bring these devices to the classroom. Our students will need the skills to work in teams, like those at Google or Apple or Twitter. They will have to compete with students from South Korea, Uruguay and beyond.

With initiatives such as Innovation Powered by Technology, the Wireless Classroom Initiative and the Board of Education Virtual Learning Regulations, we’re getting there. Good things are happening here in Rhode Island. You may not see the results yet, but stay tuned.